At the time of establishing the Clinic, its Board of Directors recognised that for Radiowave Therapy to have its place with conventional treatments, it would need to undergo a continuum of rigorous research (refer Directors message). This meant that 2 projects would need to be funded: the Clinic as an option for cancer patients; and a research organisation to ensure that a number of aspects and facts about radiowave therapy were better understood and articulated.
What is now known as the Radiowave Therapy Research Institute (RTRI) was established first, so for a time it functioned as a research facility and a treatment clinic.
In November 2007 the RTRI relocated to Adelaide and the Clinic was commissioned in its own right to continue radiowave therapy in the Perth facilities.
So what exactly are the functions of the RTRI? To answer this question some background is needed.
Dr Holt the founder of radiowave therapy treated thousands of patients and many claim successful results. However, in the 30 years Dr Holt treated patients neither he, nor anyone else, entered into a programme of detailed research at the laboratory level and progressed this research through clinical trials and then published the results.
Dr Holt did undertake a myriad of tests in his own right, and has written extensively on his treatments and their benefits, but this level of evidencing does not meet the rigor of the processes that govern how medical research is conducted.
So in a sense it is like an eligibility process which the medical community relies on, which in the case of radiowave therapy has yet to occur.
To be clear this has little to do with the fact that patients have benefited from radiowave treatments.
It simply means that there is, in a sense, a research void which needs to be filled. To achieve this, the Institute (RTRI) has a mandate to sponsor studies and research projects in all aspects of radiowave therapy, and to ensure the results are independently published in peer reviewed publications. Obviously a positive research result is expected as pilot studies and the existing treatment have both yielded results already. Nevertheless the formality of due process is still valid.
So reading on, it is important you keep in mind that there are two forms of radiowave therapy developed by Dr Holt – with the common factor being the application of 434 Mghz radiowaves – and both treatments will be researched.
The following information describes in more detail the aims and projects of the RTRI:
The Institute’s radiowave therapy research involves a number of projects with four broad objectives: Measure clinical and quality-of-life (QoL) factorscompare the side effects of radiowave therapy with conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and full-dose radiotherapydocument the benefits and outcomes of the therapypublish the results.
The initial three year business plan adopted by the Institute is based on a Research Programme which includes sponsoring Universities and other Industry Professionals to conduct:in-vitro researchA Comprehensive review of the efficacy of conventional cancer treatments (for comparative analyses with Radiowave Therapy)A Clinical Outcomes Analysis of Radiowave TherapyQuality Of Life Studies of Radiowave Therapy.
Further stages of research will be sponsored by the Institute at the end of the initial 3-year period and will be scoped in accordance with findings. The eventual aim is to conclude clinical trials and as a result of published findings, be able identify where in relation to cancer treatment Radiowave Therapy has its place. The obvious end point is to gain broader acceptance of the modalities with the mainstream medical community.
The programme of research outlined may also be extended at some future date to study other non-cancer diseases for which radiowave therapy is claimed to have an effect. This broadening of the research scope would require modifications and extensions to the protocols, data management systems, sponsorships and contracts which currently exist in relation to the Institute’s cancer research.
The current conventional treatments for cancer have limitations. In general terms, surgery can lead to a range of side effects. Chemotherapy as currently applied is toxic and many question the increased survival that it achieves. Radiotherapy also has side-effects and is not effective in treating some tumours. Some believe that radiotherapy may even create new cancers.
Therefore, the promise of radiowave therapy to treat cancer, in a curative or palliative role, with its minimal side effects and low toxicity is worthy of evidencing further.
Medical literature about radiowave therapy has been systematically reviewed by many including the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC 2005), but no actual Radiowave Therapy research projects have been relevantly undertaken. In fact any studies to date which have been documented have been found to be generally poorly designed and showing results that are not statistically significant. The applicability of these findings to radiowave therapy is however problematic, given the non-hypothermic mode of action that Dr Holt claims for the therapy.
The Clinic cannot comment at this stage on the quality, context, terms of reference or relevance of any previous literature reviews such as those conducted by the NHMRC in relation to radiowave therapy. However, the treatment modalities are considered safe and this is amply demonstrated by the Medicare support for the treatments during years of Dr Holt's practice, until the time of his retirement.
There are many past patients of Radiowave Therapy who act to testify to the importance of the research the Institute (RTRI) is undertaking.
For more information about radiowave therapy research visit www.the-institute.com.au